this is a small case study i could make from the recent tour of Ladakh
its the story
of Sonu, a 15 yr old Bihari boy, whom i came across just like scores of other
Bihari labour working on Border roads. only that i met this individual in our
guest house mess, and could chat up some details, which i found interesting ...
Name-Sonu
Age-15yrs
Native
Place-Ghoda ghat, Gaya, Bihar
Presently-
working as a server in one of the mess, Leh
Family-
Father, Mother, Sister
why he came
here- the story is as folows.
Sonu's father
who was working at Kolkata suffered an injury in leg and was bed ridden. his medical
expenses and lack of any other source of income pushed the family to poverty.
So as the sole male member of the family apart from his father, Sonu had to
step in.
here at Leh,
he gets rs4000/month, all of which he sends home as he's fed in the mess. i
asked, what if he falls ill. he said , he goes to the nearby army hospital but
has2 pay for his medicines, money for which his superviser lends and cuts from
the salary.
About
education, he says he never has had the opportunity, but confides that his sister
goes to school. quite understandable as according to him he has already worked
in a hotel in Manali, with Tibetans at Dharmashala and at a farm at Lahaul
Spiti ( where he was only paid rs 500/month!!, + child labor)
i asked him if
they were landless...they should be having some land. he was shy while saying
that he didnt know the exact term with which they measure in proper Hindi..he
said they had 12 'Bhiga' land near Gaya .
i asked them why didnt they cultivate..he said with a shy smile ' paani bhi to
hona chahiye na saab'... i was not ready to accept that the area around Gaya
should be scanty in water, and being aware of the 'water-politics'
prevalent in villages, i probed further... i was right, Sonu told me that the
Dabangs in village were blocking the water upstream.. he said the Rajputs in
the village demanded money in return for water and a share in the crop as well.
sometimes they asked for a part of land for them to cultivate...which obviously
didnt go back to the debt ridden farmer but in turn the farmer was compelled to
pledge his remaining farm too...this way, the Dabangs had aggregated
a large parcels of land.. usury was in vogue, and poor farmers were easy
meat for land sharks.
Sonu beamed
while saying this, obviously proud of being knowledgeable in this
isuue and that they were able to withhold in he face of pressure against
any such practice.
i asked him,
why didnt they complain to the authorities.. he smiled and said what
will happen with that..he said his village didnt have a proper road connecting
to the main road and it was still not electrified, so even if they wanted to go
for complaining, it was difficult n costly. he said , there is no one who
listens to them hence they dont go..previously there used to be a 'good'
officer called Mandal. i asked him if it was a Tehsildar or an SDM.. he said it
was a police officer. it was surprising! i asked him why didnt they go 2 the
Tehsildar or SDM.. he was sarcastic when he said 'woh sab hamari kaha sunte hai
sahab'.
i asked him
about, Jan sunvai...a designated day wherein u get2 meet any officer
directly with ur
problems... Sonu was unaware of any such thing.
i asked him
about NREGS...why didnt they go to work there.. he was dismissive at
this..he just questioned 'payment'? i was left 2 imagine the possible
deductions out that one word... either
1. it was
erratic
2. too late
3. not easy to
get
4. far less
when compared to what he earns now, and not guaranteed.
i asked him
from where else workers usually came..he replied from all over, 'Ladakh,Bihar,
Kolkata'...'and UP?' i asked, he said 'yes, and Punjab
also'..i asked 'MP?', and he said yes! he said two of his colleagues in
the next block were from MP..but didnt know where exactly they were from...or
why exactly they landed here
our conversation
ended here...
i was left
thinking regarding the several factors that can land an individual into poverty
in our country, robbing him of his basic amenities...
-Medical
expenses
-Village
politics
-Caste
-Lack of
governmental sensitivity
-failure of
grievance redressal
-over exposure
of Govt machinery to the elite and under exposure to the downtrodden.
-downright
insensitivity on our part 2wards our countrymen...not only as officers, but
also fellow countrymen..
it is said
great edifices are built upon many sacrifices...ofcourse, it has to be...nation
building is a veritable thing and each one of us should
give sacrifices, be it in terms of civil liberties or building border
roads..